New UTEC Headquarters finalist in the MCHAP 2014/2015
25/07/2016.
By Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. [Lima] Peru
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
The new University of Engineering and Technology of Lima headquarters, have been inspired by the relationship that the city has with the Pacific. Strongly related to the sea, the building is presented as a "man-made cliff" and it adapts to the different scales of the surrounding city.
Overview of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Overview of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Inside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los MCHAP.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los UTEC.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los UTEC.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los UTEC.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los UTEC.
Vista Interior de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los UTEC.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Outside view of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Photograph © Iwan Baan. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Aerial view and Sketch of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Ground and first floor plans of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Fifth and Nineth floor plans of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Section of the UTEC Headquarters by Grafton Architects and Shell Arquitectos. Image courtesy of the MCHAP.
Maqueta de la nueva sede de la UTEC por Grafton Architects y Shell Arquitectos. Fotografía © Iwan Baan. Imagen cortesía de los MCHAP.
Grafton architects and Shell Arquitectos have designed the new headquarters of the UTEC conceiving it as a new cliff made of concrete. The building has been selected as one of the finalists of the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize 2014 / 2015, that recognize the best built works in North and South America.
Description of the project by Grafton Architects
Man-Made Cliff
The unique condition of Lima and its relationship to the Pacific, with cliffs defining the boundary between the city and the sea, was a starting point in the conception of this project.
A green valley connecte the site with the sea. The UTEC campus project is conceived as a ‘new cliff’, continuing the sea edge, clearly stating and defining the University on its new ground.
The northern boundary of the site contains a busy road network. We see this northern boundary as the main façade of the project, visible from passing traffic and it is the register of the new campus in the public mind. We have positioned the special rooms of the University: the auditorium, the conference rooms, the theatre / movie venue, at the base of the ‘cliff ’ face, marking the northern boundary to the highway, encouraging cultural interaction with the wider public.
Intimacy within a Social Infrastructure
Structure and architectural spaces work together to form a new circulation landscape, which is external. The circulation strategy celebrates the ethos of the Institution, the collective life of the campus, as well as fostering the research life of the individual student and professor. Interaction and overlap are encouraged. Students, professors and administrative staff mingle, within view of one another. The section encourages chance and possibility.
Cascading Garden
While the north face acts as a ‘cliff’ or ‘shoulder’ to the outer world - the fast-moving city - the south faces cascades as a series of gardens.
Spatial and social interaction
Educationally, a vertically layered strategy connects ground and sky. The larger volumes are placed nearest the ground, with the teaching spaces stacked and administration and professors’ offices positioned on the higher levels. The roof level contains the library, embedded in the linear ‘loggia’, enjoying panoramic views over the city and of the sea.
The sequence of movement involves - framed views beyond the boundaries of the site to the wider horizons. The ‘prow’ of the campus faces towards the sea. A generous ramp connects real ground with new . A centralised, formal stairs and lifts animate the main arrival space The large dining room faces west onto a terrace. The special Laboratories are not hidden away, but are on display, as it were, exhibition spaces, positioned in the heart of the building, involved in the everyday life of the campus, central to the ethos of education.
More information
Architects
Grafton Architects.- Yvonne Farrell, Shelley McNamara, Ger Carty, Simona Castelli, Joanne Lyons, Ivan O’Connell
Local architects
Shell Arquitectos.- Alejandro Shell, Rafael Mispireta, Vladimir Condor, Pamela Higa, Margaux Eyssette, Luis Tomassini, Diego de la Vega.
Collaborators
Local Architects.- Shell Arquitectos
Environmental Consultants.- BDSP
Structure & Civils.- GCAQ Ingenieros Civiles
Mechanical Consultants.- Gutierrez Cantillo Ingenieros
Electrical Consultants.- AT Consultores
Landscape.- Paisaje Vivo
Acoustic Consultants.- Jimenez & Moreno
Project Management.- GCAQ Ingenieros Civiles
Client
UTEC- Universidad de Ingeniería & Tecnologia
Areas
Plot.- 14,692.50 sqm
Project.- 68,624.70 sqm
Dates
Competition.- 2011, Construction.- 2015
Venue
Lima, Perú
Yvonne Farrell - Shelley McNamara. Grafton Architects
Grafton Architects was established in 1978. Directors Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are both graduates of UCD, are Fellows of the RIAI, are International Honorary Fellows of the RIBA and are elected members of Aosdána, the eminent Irish Art organisation.
Teachers at the School of Architecture at University College Dublin from 1976 to 2002, they have been visiting professors at Accademia d’Archittettura, Mendrisio, EPFL, Lausanne, held the Kenzo Tange chair at GSD Harvard and the Louis Kahn chair at Yale University.
They have been external examiners at numerous universities including Cambridge University and The London Metropolitan School of Architecture. As well as public lectures in Dublin and abroad, including the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin and the Royal Academy in London, they have lectured widely in European and American Schools of Architecture.
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. 2020 PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE
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